


It Could Not Have Been Any Other Way

by Palebluedot



Category: The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, M/M, No war, Pelion Fic, chiron's pov, nothing bad happens here okay, what the fuck is troy are we even sure it's real because i for one am not convinced
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 19:30:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3145946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palebluedot/pseuds/Palebluedot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where one went, the other would follow. That was plain from the start.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Could Not Have Been Any Other Way

Where one went, the other would follow.

That was plain from the start, when Chiron found his tardy pupil tangled up in the road with a dark-haired boy, dusty and breathless, but smiling all the same. Achilles’ companion had given quite a start when he had seen Chiron that first time – evidently, he had not known he was walking to the home of a centaur. He had just known he was walking to Achilles, and that had been enough for him.

And so Chiron decided that Patroclus would be allowed to stay. He had not planned to take in two boys, but he saw very quickly that it could not have been any other way. Achilles was bold, headstrong. If Patroclus had not followed him himself, or had been too slow in his arrival, Chiron suspected that one morning, he would have awoken to find Achilles gone, on his way home to find him, and bring him to where he ought to be.

The boys were good students, better still for the other’s presence. They took their lessons together, never asked for time alone, and learned much from each other. Chiron noted their progress with no small amount of pride – he was confident Patroclus would grow to be an excellent healer. His hands were exceedingly gentle, and more talented than he knew. And while Achilles’ divine prowess as a warrior was certainly not something Chiron could claim credit for, his ability as a musician, to some extent, was. The songs that filled the cave, ripening the air with melody, were more skillfully woven with each passing day.

Chiron slept outside, weather permitting, and there was only one bed fit for humans in the cave. In the beginning, Chiron had every intention of giving Patroclus one of his own – perhaps even using the project as an opportunity for a carpentry lesson – but on that first night, they shared the bed meant for Achilles without any protest. And so it was on the next night, and the next. Chiron let it be. He came to know that if they wished for anything, they would ask for it, and they never spoke of it. So neither did he. But one can observe much without speaking, and so Chiron noticed something…out of place about the way the boys chose to sleep.

They always left a space between them, clearly deliberate in nature. In true, the bed had not been crafted with the intent of comfortably fitting two. And since they shared it so willingly, it seemed odd to Chiron that they would not…well. He supposed he was not thinking clearly. Sleeping with bodies entwined was something reserved only for lovers, and, as close as the boys were, he knew this was not the case.

But even so, as irrational as it may have been, the distance between them somehow seemed unnatural to Chiron. After all, never while awake did they make such an effort to remain apart. Quite the opposite. And, more often than not, they slept facing each other. Yet, there was always a gap left between them, just wider than a breath. If either one of them wished, he could simply roll over and close it, and end the whole business.

One morning, it became apparent that one of them had done just that.

It was peaceful to look upon, Achilles’ head on Patroclus’ shoulder, nose nestled in the crook of his neck, hand splayed delicately over his stomach. Patroclus’ lips rested lightly in Achilles’ wild tangle of golden hair. His arm was hooked around Achilles’ waist, keeping him near. Chiron suddenly remembered something he had told a quiet boy with eyes that were perhaps too wide for his own good, in a time that seemed like yesterday, a lifetime ago – “Do not let what you gained this day be so easily lost”. He must have taken the advice to heart. _He is not likely to let himself lose him now._ _He never truly was._

Walking delicately, as silently as his hooves would allow, Chiron left the cave to call to them. Normally, he would rouse them from the kitchen, as he prepared breakfast, but he saw no reason to make it plain that he had seen what he had seen. It was not truly his business to know things of that nature. They were yet boys, yes, boys entrusted to his care, but boys who were nearly men, and men must be given leave to guide their own fates. If they wished to, Chiron knew they would speak with him of what they had become. And if they did not…then at least he would know, however privately, that there was no longer any unnecessary space between them.

**Author's Note:**

> This was kinda bouncing around in my head ever since I read the book for the first time, because I just couldn't fathom the idea that a guy who's been around as long as Chiron wouldn't notice that something was up here. And I couldn't imagine that he'd react negatively, so...this happened.


End file.
